(Courtesy of The Jewish Home) The Jewish Home Family, the nonprofit organization that operates the Jewish Home at Rockleigh, Jewish Home Assisted Living (JHAL) in River Vale and Jewish Home at Home throughout North Jersey, received an award for its innovative Jewish programming at the recent conference of the Association for Jewish Aging Services (AJAS) conference in Beverly Hills.

Avi Feld, who oversees the kosher supervision as well as the culinary experiences at Jewish Home Assisted Living, accepted the award for “Cooking for Happiness,” which brought innovative and interactive cooking programs into residents’ rooms, as well as onto family and community members’ screens during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program integrated signature dishes from beloved recipes shared by elders living at JHAL with themed desserts and cocktails relating to upcoming holidays. (Go to tinyurl.com/avifeld to view the Passover episode.)

Feld hosted an innovation roundtable at the conference, sharing his ideas and processes with other nonprofit Jewish eldercare agencies around the country.

Jewish Home Family President/CEO Carol Silver Elliott nominated Feld for the award. “Our team did a remarkable job of pivoting when COVID became a part of our lives,” she said. “In addition to our focus on health and safety, we also wanted to ensure that quality of life was not disrupted. Avi is a prime example of that effort. He has always done, and continues to do, engaging, thoughtful and beautiful programs for our elders. When he could not continue those in person, he found other ways to make it work—and extended the programs far beyond our walls. We are so proud of Avi, not just for this recognition, but for his ongoing commitment to the care of those we serve.”

For more information on Jewish Home programming email [email protected]